


Consequences

by sweetlikesummer



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: (a lot bc the Starks are a complicated bunch), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Iron Man 2, Just a lot of issues, Medication misuse, Mommy Issues, News Media, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Tony Stark, Pre-Avengers (2012), Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Medication, Swearing, Tony Stark Has Daddy Issues, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2018-08-13 07:35:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7968049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetlikesummer/pseuds/sweetlikesummer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>con·se·quence<br/>ˈkänsikwəns/<br/>noun<br/>1. a result or effect of an action or condition.</p><p> </p><p>Ever since her father declared to the world he was Iron Man, Anya Stark’s life changed completely. After a series of events put them at odds and in risk of their lives, now both of them have to deal with the outcome of their actions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You're In My World Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had been almost a year ever since her father was kidnapped by terrorists working for the man she used to think of as family, and Anya’s life had never been the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: Explicit Drug Use, Underage Drinking (at least if you're in the US)  
> Author's Note: I apologize for any errors, since I'm not a native speaker and I don't have a beta reader.

 

_Hipster nights downtown  
And your daddy don't know you're out _

* * *

 

** News **

**Tony Stark found alive after 3 months of imprisonment**  
Los Angeles Times \- 1 hour ago

 **Tony Stark alive **  
CNN \- 1 hour ago

 

 **Stark Industries To Halt Weapons Production**  
Stark Industries CEO Tony Stark stuns shareholders with plan to weapons shutdown. The announcement came a few hours after the CEO was rescued from…

.

_Incident in Los Angeles metro area causes explosion in Stark Industries research facility. Multiple witnesses have confirmed the presence of what appears to be two men in metal suits at the scene. Although no official statement has been released, a press conference at Stark Industries’ headquarters is scheduled for tomorrow to address the event, which will be broadcast at 11/10 central._

. 

WHO IS THE IRON MAN?

 . 

 **Tony Stark reveals in shocking statement that he is the man inside the metal suit **  
Daily News \- 2 hours ago

 

* * *

 

 

**_April, 2010_ **

 

“We need vodka!” One Anya’s friends cheered, thrusting a bottle of Grey Goose into her hands. She took the bottle and grinned over at the rest of the group as they started chanting, “Shots! Shots!”

This was how it usually went, Friday nights at the local night club were nobody batted an eyelash at underage rich kids having a good time. Anya began to pour the clear liquid into small glasses. Then she wrapped her lips around the bottle and tipped her head back, swallowing without grimace, the alcohol was almost like water in her throat. 

One of her friends, Liza, smiled at the sight and wrapped a hand around Anya’s wrist, whispering their secret code into her ear. The both of them stood up at the same time, excusing themselves to the girl’s bathroom.

Once there, Lisa reached out a hand. “Card?”

Anya handed out said item without question, Liza only gave her a knowing smile in response. Anya watched as her friend poured the contents of a small plastic bag into a compact round mirror. Then a few seconds after, Liza handed her a rolled up bill.

She was already way past tipsy to begin with so the effect only took seconds to set in and once it did, Anya felt her whole body warm up. The rush of adrenaline made her head spin every time.

 

.

 

For Anya Stark, life usually went a little like this: Monday through Thursday she was an exemplary graduate student. Working on research in the mornings, doing her lab work, and even going to ballet class every time the mood struck. It was nice, it was idle, it was so far removed from the person she became on wild weekend nights.

 

It was not long ago that a girl in one of those frat parties offered Anya a way to make the night “much more fun”. Anya ever the careful one, was hesitant at first, but once she got a taste of real life she was hooked. It was an exhilarating first experience, after a few more tries she found herself doing more and more.

Everyone did questionable things at parties or clubs at some point, Anya wasn’t the exception. She had fun, kissed and danced with a few people, and returned to her MBA ‒ PhD duties come Monday morning. 

The drug thing was under control, it wasn’t like she was an addict or something serious like that.

It was Liz, her best friend, that told another story. They had met at a party in New York last fall, Anya was there to get a breath of fresh air and escape Cambridge’s academia filled environment. She stumbled upon Liz at, you guessed it, a party and the both of them hit it off from there.

Eliza Montgomery was charming, funny and beautiful, a model and ambassador for her grandparents hotel chain. Liz was the kind of person to turn to when you wanted to have fun, she pushed Anya to come out of her shell and just enjoy life like a normal teenager.

Life for Liz was idyllic, full of luxury and expenses, waiting for the next exciting thing to happen. Anya could never understand it, but she found she enjoyed her time around the other girl.

.

 

The music was nothing more than a dull roar over the bathroom’s door, making the atmosphere much calmer than the one outside. Liz wrapped up the rest of her things into a small clutch. She stepped right in front of Anya and pressed a kiss to her lips, then she smiled. It was a wicked, sort of indulgent smile, which surely meant trouble.

Anya put her hands on Liz’ waist, pulling her closer and returned the kiss. Only this time it was more intense. Her teeth gently pulled at the other girl’s bottom lip and Anya let out a slight moan when Liz returned the gesture. It was cut short right after that, but the lingering gazes and touches between them meant that the makeout session would be revisited later.

A group of girls glanced at them with curiosity clear in their eyes, Anya paid no mind to it. The funny thing was, no one batted an eyelash at the items on the counter a few minutes ago.

As they walked back to the dance floor Anya had a sudden realization, Liz hadn’t taken anything stronger than vodka all night, but she was too high to even care at the moment. It wouldn’t matter tomorrow, either way. The loud music pounded on her ears, everything seemed to move at a loud speed, the coke having done its job made Anya more at ease.

She pulled Liz closer, bringing their lips together in front of everyone. Someone cheered in the background, Liz laughed, the night was just beginning.

 

* * *

 

The next morning ( _or was it afternoon?_ ) Anya woke up to the painful sound of her phone ringing. She didn’t remember that much from last night, she certainly didn’t recall getting home. Sometimes that happened, she tried not to give much thought to it, if she did she would lose it. Her clothes were intact at least, that was one thing less to worry about.

The phone rang once again. The name _Pepper Potts_ flashed on her lockscreen.

“Hello?” Her voice croaked out as she picked up the phone.

“Did I wake you?” Pepper’s voice came through the speaker.

Anya blinked some of the sleep from her eyes, looking around the room, the place was in complete disarray. “Yeah, no. I was just getting up.”

“Sorry, I just wanted to know what time are you getting here tomorrow.”

Anya’s train of thought came to a halt. Tomorrow? _Shit_ , she’d completely forgotten. She scrambled off the bed with a muttered curse, a stab of pain flaring at the back of her head with the sudden movement.

“Did you forget again?” Pepper then asked with a slight laugh.

“What? No, I had a...reminder set up.” She massaged her temple with her free hand as she tried to remember the details of the flight. “I think the plane arrives at about 10:30 am? I can text you the details later, if you want.”

“Sure, no worries!” Pepper said, there was some background noise as if she were on a car. “Alright, I’ll make sure your things are ready just in time and schedule Happy to pick you up. See you then!”

“Yeah, bye!”

Anya dropped the phone down on the bed. She gave a frustrated sigh, and ran a hand down her hair already mentally going through the list of things that needed to be done that afternoon. Shower, pack, clean, eat, not necessarily in that order.

The room was a complete mess but she tried to ignore it as much as she could. When Anya stepped into the bathroom, she stared at the big mirror in front of her. The sight that met her was jarring. There were dark circles under her eyes, she hadn’t slept well in a while and her hair was a tangled mess, she always felt her regrets more vividly the morning after. Before she could go on about her day she opened the cabinet, looking for an orange bottle. She unscrewed it, popping two pills into her mouth and swallowing them down with water from the faucet. There, fixed it.

After a much deserved shower she checked her phone again, there were texts from a couple of friends and lab partners. Anya quickly shot off a reply to Liz, cancelling any plans for tonight and postponing their date or whatever it was. She didn’t have much friends these days, or really ever, she was kind of a loner. Even if her phone was full of other ridiculously rich and famous young people, Anya didn’t feel the need to socialize with them.

With an already raging migraine, Anya debated whether if it was necessary to go out or not. She could always check in the lab another day. The sun shone brightly outside, hurting her sensitive eyes even with the blinds down. Her limbs were heavy with exhaustion but she was too restless to sleep off the hangover.

She spent the rest of the day between tidying up her apartment and packing. Then once it was done, she decided to go to sleep early, at least that way she’d be ready for the long weekend in New York.

. 

 

Anya shot up on the bed a few hours later, quickly covering her mouth as a scream threatened to escape her lips. She didn’t realize the trembling of her limbs until she tried to kick off the covers. She stood up and paced around the room quietly reminding herself, _it wasn’t real, it was just a dream, it’s over, it’s over._

Her sleep had been fretful, only managing to catch bits and pieces of it. The nightmares weren’t unusual, but they were specially bad after a night out. It was probably just stress or anxiety that caused them, she was under a lot of pressure lately and well, the drugs didn’t exactly help her case.

With a quick glance at the clock she noticed it was only five, but she wasn’t getting any more sleep. She decided to turn on the T.V. for background noise as she went off to get ready for the day.

“ _The billionaire Tony Stark a.k.a Iron Man prepares for the opening of Stark Expo after almost forty years..._ ”

The channel was changed as soon as her father was mentioned.

It had been almost a year ever since her father was kidnapped by terrorists working for the man she used to think of as family, and Anya’s life had never been the same. Her life had been unusual enough since the age of ten, growing up a billionaire's daughter, being groomed for the CEO’s office and having huge expectations for her life wasn’t something all teenage girls could relate to. Sixteen was a good age to start driving, maybe even get a piercing, but for Anya that was the year she designed her first prototype at the R&D department. Her father was adamant that she began interning in the summers at different areas of the company, it was so she could get first hand experience as well as get to know the people that someday, would be under her command.

In the aftermath of the press conference that changed everything, the whole world had gone crazy. The news cycle kept with every single one of her father’s moves ‒ even more than they used to ‒ ever since that dreadful day, Anya was done with it. Reporters, politicians, and even some of her own classmates had all made staggering comments regarding the situation, saying that he was way over his head, or a trainwreck waiting to happen given his previous antics, some even called Iron Man a national security threat.  

If she was being honest, Anya still didn’t know how to feel about the whole thing. There were mixed feelings, anger, frustration, worry, and even a little bit of pride but that was highly overshadowed by the rest. When she first found out, she was horribly angry at him. There he was, painting a huge target on all of their backs just because he felt like it. And she definitely let him know it.

“It’s the superhero one-o-one dad, you don’t tell the world your identity!” That was the first thing she said, after the swarm of reporters had stopped approaching them with questions.

“I take it you’re angry?” Tony asked with such casualness that one could think it was another day at the office. It was his way of dealing with things, approaching them in his usual blasé attitude so everyone would think he was cool about it, Anya saw right through that.

“What happened to sticking with the cards?” She huffed. “I thought you were actually going to do it.”

“Honey, it’s going to be alright. I have everything under control.”

Anya shook her head in disbelief. “That was incredibly stupid, you didn’t even stop to consider what this would bring.”

“I know how this looks. You have nothing to worry about, I promise, I’m handling it.” He patted her once in the shoulder, giving her that smile. The _I’m Tony Stark and I can do what I want_ smile he usually reserved for reporters, or people he wanted to piss off. It infuriated Anya even more.

“Are you sure about that? What makes you think reporters will stop harassing me at school? Not only me, but Pepper, Rhodey, even Happy! You just put a target on all of our backs without us getting a say in that.”

But that wasn’t entirely the problem, Anya could deal with cameras being shoved down her face, getting outright disrespectful questions and being followed around, she had done it in the past and would probably do it all her life.

But that wasn’t entirely the problem, Anya could deal with cameras being shoved down her face, getting outright disrespectful questions and being followed around, she had done it in the past and would probably do it all her life.

The problem was that to the rest of the world her father was a superhero, but for Anya that was just her dad, going out in a suit made out of metal alloys ready to risk his life, over and over again. She already almost lost him once and she wasn’t about to experience that all over again when it nearly broke her completely. He was the only family she had left and Anya was terrified of losing her father.

She had a little taste of how that was like. The three months her father spent missing, were possibly, the worst of her life. Time stretched out. Life became monotonous and meaningless, Anya didn’t even remember how she got through it. There were so many expectations placed on her at the age of seventeen, in between mourning her father and putting off board meetings she began to lose herself.

During those moments she found herself feeling completely and utterly alone, her father _was_ her best friend after all. So she isolated herself, she stopped interacting with people altogether, not talking, not even eating sometimes.

It was not until Pepper set her foot down, dragging her out of the depths of depression that Anya felt like she could breathe. Even when they both knew that the odds of Tony returning were slim, Pepper didn’t let her hit rock bottom. Pepper and Rhodey became the kind of support system Anya could hold onto, they gave her hope.

Now, Anya didn’t have that kind of support. Not for a lack of trying on her family's behalf. She had turned her back on all of them and ran off to Boston, in hopes of getting her somewhat normal life back. Being who she was didn’t leave much place to be normal, but she loved to pretend. People at school didn’t seem to care who she was, what mattered was her work, her intelligence and her quick sense to solve problems, they treated her like an equal most of the time. Going back to finish her graduate studies was a part of the plan all along, but given the circumstances it felt like she was trying to run away.

Things had changed. The relationship with her father was tense at best and non-existant at worse. Because it all became about Iron Man. Tony could not talk about anything else every time time they spoke, “ _Hey Anya, have you seen the Iron Man merch? I’m getting it registered. There’s another suit upgrade I want you to see, you’re gonna love it!_ ”

Iron Man this, Iron Man that. It was getting tiring and old very soon for Anya. She wanted to understand him, she really did. But she had a hard time trusting his judgement, since the day that he thought that saying, _I am Iron Man_ , in front of the whole world was a good idea.

They hadn't spoken in months, which further proved that Anya wanted to keep her distance. Before they couldn't stand to be apart for too long. It was awful, because she knew, deep inside her that distancing from her only family would end badly. She had moved out of campus at some point and purchased an apartment in the busiest area of the city. In the past year she had changed every bit about herself in an attempt at reclaiming something back. She wasn’t entirely sure what, it didn’t make her feel better either. The ongoing party habits, the staying out late with people she didn’t even know, the drugs, those things, they were a part of her now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Director's (author's?) Commentary:
> 
> \- First of all this fic has been in the works for almost a year in a half, for outside circumstances i couldn't continue it as i intended. Besides the fact that i wasn't satisfied with what i was posting. This is the remastered, much better version (imo), and i've put a lot of thought to it in the past few months! It's basically my baby at this point lmao but enough of that
> 
> \- As you can see in the tags, this work deals with some serious stuff and as it progresses it will get (only slightly) worse, please head the warnings before reading! I know a lot of these themes are not for everybody and if something in the content triggers you in any way beware of it, please be safe! I will put individual warnings in every chapter so look out for those
> 
> \- As for the timeline im using for this thing, bc marvel is a mess and they can't figure their own things, Iron Man 2 is set in 2010 and im manoeuvering all the events to fit my own timeline which is mostly based in this one (http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline) 
> 
> \- Enjoy! Leave me a comment, thoughts, ideas, whatever it's appreciated! 
> 
> Blanket warning: I'm not a native English speaker, if something reads wonky please let me know so I can correct it! Same goes for grammar mistakes and typos, im always in the lookout for those but they can be tricky to detect
> 
> Thank you!


	2. The Story of Me and You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best of surprises don't come in a neatly tied bow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Language

_For all the things my hands have held_  
_The best by far is you_

_**2001** _

 

 

**Baby-Daddy Scandal!**

_The rumours about Tony Stark’s offspring seem to be true and we have the exclusive just for you._

_A few months ago a French gossip rag reported the case of a ten year old girl whose mother claimed that Tony Stark was her baby daddy. The shocking revelation had many media outlets doubting the case. But after DNA testing was done, it was confirmed that America’s most wanted bachelor was in fact a father._

_There's no information regarding the girl's mother or the relationship she had with the billionaire. As of now, no statement has been released in regards to the legal situation. Tony has yet to comment on the news, but his PR team is working hard to keep any more details from leaking to the public._

_We’ll keep you updated as more..._

 

_._

 

The life of a bachelor ended abruptly for Tony Stark when a very extensive letter arrived at his desk. The letter explained, among other things, that he was a father. It wasn’t much of a surprise if he was being honest. After all the years of crazy partying and wild nights out it was almost expected to happen at some point or another.

What did surprise him, was the fact that ten years had gone by without notice and only just now he was receiving the news. It didn’t make sense, if someone wanted to take advantage of him or his fortune, the woman in question would’ve let him known a long time ago. So this was different.  
  
Not long after there was a call, this time from a French court. The purpose of the call was to get in contact with the sole custodian of a recently orphaned ten year old girl. The mother had died but before that she had made sure her child was taken care of by the state. There was a lot of legal jargon involved but the thing was simple, the birth certificate had his name on it. Now, Tony didn’t even remember meeting said woman, let alone signing a legal document of that caliber. Something was definitely off.

He called up his lawyers then, to make sure the whole thing checked out. Someone was trying to set him up, that much was clear.

But when the lawyer confirmed that the documents held up ‒ and not only his name was in the certificate, there was also a signed letter by him establishing that the child was his ‒ it was time to change tactics. A counter-request for a DNA test was made and the French court, surprisingly, accepted.

 

.

 

 

 

 

> **ANTHONY E. STARK**  
>  **10880**  
>  **MALIBU POINT, 90265**
> 
> **CASE REFERENCE: 391963**  
>  **AUGUST, 12 2001**
> 
> By order of Anthony E. Stark we were requested to perform a paternity test. The following individuals were examined:
> 
> **INDIVIDUAL                   FULL NAME                        DOB**
> 
> ALLEGED FATHER      ANTHONY E. STARK          5-29-1970
> 
> CHILD                       ANASTASIA I. DUMONT    10-15-1991
> 
>  
> 
> The biostatistical analysis of the PCR systems was performed according to the method of Essen-Möller. The probability of Mr.  _Anthony E. Stark_ being the biological father of _Anastasia I. Dumont_ is  > **99.9999 %**.

 

. 

 

Despite the fact that it shouldn’t have shocked him when the results came in positive, all Tony could do was panic. Because here was the thing: Tony had never wanted kids. Pretending to be a functional adult was hard enough, he wouldn’t even begin to fathom to the idea of raising a child – he didn't trust himself not to do as his father and screw up an innocent person. No, thank you. He had enough daddy issues as it was.  
  
But okay. That was far from the point. The father's sins and all that. He wasn't giving himself enough credit, as Rhodey liked to point out sometimes. Long story short, he'd never wanted, nor needed, a child and yet he found himself with one. And he was smart, a genius even, but Tony had never been good with children. He never knew what to say or do around them, even when he was a kid himself. What the hell was he going to do? How did normal, not-fucked-up people react to these sort of things?

Ok, so. What was the next step.  
  
This kid was technically half his, or 100% his now? He didn’t dwell on the details. The kid was an _orphan_ and in need of a proper guardian. Emphasis on proper, which Tony was most definitely _not_. He’d never been famous for being emotionally stable.

There were two options here ‒ actually just one, but for the sake of the argument he entertained two. Either he ignored the...situation, throw money at it, wait until it got away. That sounded harsh and cruel, even in his own head. Because what, was he really leaving a child out in the cold? Tony could be a difficult person on a good day, an asshole on a bad one, but he wasn’t some kind of...Scooby-Doo villain.

The other option, was actually the more complicated one. He gave it some thought, turned it around in his head, considering every possible outcome. He still came down to the same conclusion. Which, holy shit, nope. It was too much responsibility, too much weight; but who else was there to take it on?  

Tony re-read the letter that was sent to him months ago. And wow, he didn’t notice there were pictures attached to the thing at first. Some fell to the floor and in his haste of picking them up, he noticed something. It was a girl, not older than three, holding a stuffed dog. The picture was cute, it made something tangle in Tony’s chest. He didn’t know this kid, and he didn’t have the slightest clue as to whether this was the right thing or not.  

He took a decision and called his lawyer.

 

.

 

At some point of another, he got in touch with his best-friend. Like in all monumental things in his life, Rhodey had to be present. Rhodes was a good friend, having been there at moments when Tony needed the support. The other thing was that, out of the two of them, Rhodey was probably the responsible one. And it wasn’t like Tony required for someone else to make his decisions, not that he’d listen anyway, but it would be good to hear what his friend had to say in a situation like this.

“Run this by me again,” Rhodey said, still puzzled about the news. “You, Tony Stark, are a father.”  
  
“Well, the DNA test came back positive so that’s the gist of it, yeah.” They were sitting on the terrace, Tony was having a drink while Rhodey sat in front, looking at him like he had grown a second head. “You remember that french girl I met back in, uh ‘89, was it?”

Rhodey wasn’t at all troubled about the non-sequitur question, at this point he'd grown used to it. “Catherine? I do remember her, she was the only girl I've ever seen you get somewhat serious with.” Then he looked pensive for a moment, analyzing what Tony had given him. “Wait a sec, are you saying what I think you're saying?”  
  
Tony just shrugged with a shoulder and added, “I got a letter about two months ago, before this whole thing.” He gestured wildly. “Guess who sent it?” If the look on his face was anything to go by, Rhodes was even more surprised to hear this new information. “Which by the way, is kind of rude. I mean, who takes ten years to deliver that sort of news? That's inconsiderate first of all and–”  
  
“Whoa, whoa, okay,” Rhodey interrupted Tony's rambling. “That’s...a lot to take in. I think you need to acknowledge the elephant in the room first.” He pointed out. “What are you doing about it?”

At that, Tony could only give his friend a very serious look.

“Tones, come on. This isn’t something you can just ignore.”  
  
“Who says I’m ignoring it? I got my lawyer on it, I’m arranging the paperwork. And, wow, should I be wounded by your lack of faith in me?”

“You’re what?” Rhodey said, still somewhat in shock but then he smiled. “Look at you, being responsible for once and finally settling down.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Tony dismissed with a wave of his hand. “We’ll talk about me going soft later.” He smiled back at his friend, a clear indication that he was only joking.  
  
“I’m proud of you man,” Rhodey said. “Have thought about the rest of it? Obadiah? The board? This changes everything, you know. Think we can handle it?” Rhodey raised his eyebrows.

Tony let out a sigh. “I have no fucking idea. But we’re in this for the long haul, or I mean, I am so ‒” 

“Hey, you can count on me. You know how this goes.”

Tony gave him a soft smile. “We’re in this. So there’s not pulling out now.”

“You’ve never been the kind to pull out, clearly.” Rhodey quipped and Tony almost choked on his drink.

“Really?”

Rhodey only patted him on the back and laughed. 

.

 

The first meeting was held in a courthouse in Paris, much to Tony’s inconvenience, but he sucked up any discomfort. He felt nervous for the first time in recent memory, it wasn’t like he was facing his death sentence but it felt like he was preparing for a firing squad. Here he was, meeting his own child who he had no idea existed until a few months ago. Peachy, absolutely fine.

Rhodey offered to come with but Tony declined it. There were some fights he needed to take on his own. This was one of those.

He felt the sudden urge to run. But no, he made a promise to himself and he intended to keep it. Besides, what would be the point in that? Tony tried to wave off any jitters, moving his leg up and down, up and down, as he sat in one uncomfortable bench.

After much waiting and exchanging pleasantries with the social worker, it was time to meet his daughter. He took a few calming breaths before opening the door, this was it.

“Hi,” he said as a greeting, trying to stave off some of the awkwardness. “You must be Anastasia.” He offered her his hand, only to be ignored completely. He had braced himself for rejection, he really did. But, ouch, his ego took a hit with that one. “I’m, uh Tony.”

The girl looked at him for a few seconds, Tony tried not to shrink under her gaze. “I know who you are,” she said in perfect, unaccented english. She was annoyed? Or at least sounded like. “You’re my father.”

Tony almost doubled over with that. Because yeah, okay, that was definitely his child and that little fact hadn’t sunken in until he was looking at her, face to face. The resemblance was uncanny, if he had any doubts about it here they dissipated.

Then in a more quiet voice, she said, “It’s, I’m Anya.”

“Right.” He said, letting out a long breath.

There was an uncomfortable silence, in which none of them said anything. The kid ‒ Anya, he corrected in his mind ‒ kept looking at her shoes, clenching and unclenching her hands into fists. Before Tony could open his mouth yet again, she spoke up.

“ _Why are you here?_ ” She pinned him with those big eyes of hers, her voice edging on broken. Tony hoped to God she didn’t cry, because he wasn’t sure he could handle that sort of thing at the moment.

He opened his mouth to come up with a response, but found he wasn’t sure what was being asked. _Why him? Why now? Why me?_ It was such a simple question and yet a difficult one to answer.

He moved on the bench so he was facing her. Anya played with the buttons of her blue cardigan and when she looked up at him, her eyes were glassy.

“Look kid,” he started. Her attention was full on him and he felt almost uncomfortable with it. “I’m not ‒ I’m sorry. I’m not good at this whole,” he gestured with his finger, “emotional thing. My dad...wasn’t the best and honestly I’m not fond of the idea of screwing you over. So, sorry in advance I guess.”

Anya’s eyebrows scrunched up in question. “Uh, okay?”

Tony faltered, “Yeah, it’s ‒ it doesn’t matter. My point is, I’m not sure if I can be a good role model for the younger generation. That being you. And there’s a lot of unresolved issues that I don’t want to dump on you. I guess, what I’m saying is...I’m sorry you got stuck with me.”

“Stuck...with you?”

“Yeah, you hit the jackpot kid. You’re moving to California with me.”

Anya’s eyes widened. Tony couldn’t help but be moved by the childish expression. “California? But...that’s so far away.”

“Well, I’m sorry. I really am, but you can’t stay here by yourself. And honestly it would make me feel better to know you’re not in some, weird, private school overseas.” He eyed her carefully, gaging for her reaction at the news. Tony was still trying to come to terms with it himself. It was true, there was no way for her to stay. And anyway the court would never allow it. There was more silence, but it was interrupted when he suddenly got an idea. “Hey, do you...like ice-cream?”

“Yes?”

“Right, who doesn’t? That was a stupid question anyway. So, you wanna get some?”

“I guess, yeah. Um, can we‒” she looked around, as if making sure no one was listening in. “Right now?” She whispered.

“Sure, why not?”

That got him a smile. Although small and shy, but he’d take whatever at this point. And since when did he have any expectations for this meeting? God, Tony was already so far gone on this kid. He supposed that was a good thing, if anything it made life just a little bit easier.

 

 .

 

In all honesty, Tony still had his doubts. He didn’t know the first thing about being a parent, he read some books but it wasn’t an exact science, there was no formula, everyone had a different opinion. It wasn’t like kids were as easy as an engineering problem.

It wasn't all complicated, only that it was, at first. With Anya refusing to utter a single word for _weeks_ after she was brought to California. Trying to get anything out of her was like pulling teeth, which Tony would’ve preferred. He didn’t know what was wrong, let alone how to fix it, and admitting that to himself meant he wasn't good enough to take care of a child. _His_ own child.

His personal assistant, Pepper was more or less a blessing when it came to his daughter, on a good day she could get more than three words out of Anya. After all, Pepper was the one in charge of her personal things and knew how to ask questions without being overbearing. She was the one who suggested therapy in the first place and Tony actually took up on her advice because he didn't know what else to do.

There was another reason why he called the doctor. Anya wasn’t handling well with the change, she didn’t speak, she didn’t properly eat or sleep, it was starting to freak him out. She went through the days like a zombie and Tony knew for a fact that it wasn’t normal, it reminded him of the days after his own parents died.

He stared out the window, where he had a direct view of the pool. Anya sat at the very edge, dipping her feet in and playing with the water. It wasn’t the time to dwell on what could’ve been, he had a kid now and he had to learn to take care of her, to spend more time with her. Because he was the only person Anya had left and he wasn’t about to waste the second chance life was giving him.

 

.

 

The year after Anya turned ten a lot of things happened. First, her mother died. That wasn’t unexpected at all, she had been sick for a long time, it was only a matter of time. But as everyone who lost a parent at a young age would know, it threw her life out of balance. Learning how to live without her mother was challenge enough.

The second thing was far more complicated. Her father, who for Anya had always been a dark figure, looming in the background as an afterthought, suddenly was in the picture and making her move halfway across the world, trying to reconcile almost eleven years of absence.

The first six months were tough on everyone. It wasn't easy, to go from living in a single apartment with her mother, sharing a bedroom and sometimes scraping by, to the grandeur and lavishness of living with a billionaire. Her father was...eccentric, to put it mildly. He was the kind of person to think that five star hotels and traveling only via private jet were the norm. It was almost disconnecting, Anya thought she had nothing that could relate to the man that called himself her father. It didn't make sense to her, so she kept a safe distance for the most part.

 _Don’t get attached_ , as her mother would say.

But the nights were lonely and cold despite the warm California weather, she cried herself to sleep on more than one occasion without anyone noticing. Anya hid it well, but she felt disconnected from the world she was living in. Which was, ironically, what eventually pulled her closer to the only family she had left.

Tony (always _Tony_ , never dad, at least not yet) talked, Anya thought it was simply because he liked to listen to himself but that wasn’t the reason behind it. When there were bad days, and she refused to speak to anyone, he would talk about everything and anything to keep Anya's mind from wandering too much. She didn't realize at first, because she didn't pay enough attention, but she found she enjoyed it, the mindless chatter.

In a matter of a few months they fell into a comfortable routine. Anya would take her classes, given by a tutor, in the mornings. She would wander around the house in the afternoons and maybe listen to her father ramble on about something or other in the evenings. It was good, she didn’t miss her mother as much anymore.

Things weren’t always easy in the Stark household, Anya had to learn to understand who her father was. She didn’t get why she had to share him with the world, or why he had to spent time away from her so often, in the time they had been together a strong bond had developed and while Anya didn’t express her feelings as much as she should’ve, she still felt a pang in her chest every time her father had to leave for some business or another. 

It was hard, to realize that her life wasn’t entirely hers and that her father wasn’t either.

 

On one rare, quiet afternoon that found Anya studying in Tony’s workshop ‒ she like it there, it was quiet, secluded from the outside world ‒ things started to get weird. It happened like an accident, out of nowhere and without notice.

It could’ve been inconsequential, had Anya not been paying attention, but it was and she did. She reached for her cup but instead of being three inches to the left it was on her hand in seconds, as if a magnet or _something_ had pulled it in all the way to her. Anya blinked at the item in confusion and set it down again.

There was a slight tingle on the fingers in her left hand. A thrumming under her skin, all over her body. She felt it crackle and sizzle down. The lights in the room had dimmed but just as sudden as it had happened they went back to normal.

Anya stared intently at one of her books then, trying to prove the wild theory that just popped into her head, but nothing happened. She went back to her work after that, but she kept eyeing the cup out of the corner of her eye the whole afternoon.

 

It happened again and again. Until it became a frequent occurrence, maybe Anya was paying more attention or became more aware of it as it progressed, she couldn’t know. These events were subtle, almost unnoticeable. Suddenly things were closer or misplaced objects found their way to the place they belonged. It was convenient really, but she didn't want to think about it too much.

Denial kept her quiet about the issue. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, it was crazy, it was impossible. It was something she couldn’t deal with on her own. But the alternative was something she wasn’t even contemplating. Who would believe her? _I can lift stuff with my mind_ , Anya would say, and they would laugh, they would mock her, for wanting attention, they’d tell her she was making it all up. Jedi mind tricks? Yeah, sure.

But. But. She didn’t know what else to do. So, with a great amount of effort and a lot of considering, she decided to finally tell her father about it. He fixed stuff, he was a genius, maybe he could fix whatever was wrong with her.

 

 .

 

“I’m not — you don’t think I’m a freak right?” Anya said, voice edging on hysteric. She didn’t know what she was doing, didn’t know how to control it. But when showing her dad, suddenly it worked. "I don't know what's happening to me. This– this thing I can do, it should be impossible."

Anya’s initial reaction had been fear ‒ of herself, of people finding out and labeling her as crazy. Especially her father, who in the past years had become a solid figure in her life, someone she could trust enough to tell all her problems. It had been subtle, the way he'd become dad instead of Tony in the matter of a few months. She didn’t want to freak him out or to treat her any differently because of this.  
  
Tony Stark wasn’t a man to be easily impressed, but this time he was rendered speechless. Ever since she met him, Anya had never seen that look on her father’s face. He looked at her with a combination of amazement, surprise and confusion. Neither of them understanding any of what was happening.  
  
He didn't say anything for a while and Anya, not knowing how to interpret his silence, began to panic. Fear took a hold of her, she felt it bubbling at her throat, pressing at her chest. _He doesn’t want you_ , a dark part of her mind supplied, _he thinks you’re a freak, an abnormality._ The tears rolled down her face before she could even try and stop them.  
  
He began muttering to himself, starting to pace with a mind already full of possible scenarios. However when he noticed the distress on Anya's face, he paused.  
  
“Hey kiddo, you need take a deep breath and no more tears, okay?” She did as he told her, trying to wipe off her face with the sleeve of her shirt. “It's going to be alright,” he continued, offering what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "The both of us, we'll figure this out–"  
  
“What if– if we can't?” Anya said in a whisper.  
  
“We will, I promise you. They do say two brains are better than one, what do you think?"  
  
He hugged her then, holding her close to him and promising to never let go. Anya tried to not cry anymore, as long her father was there nothing bad could ever happen.

 

.

 

Tony was pacing. Nervous energy escaping from every inch of his body. He ran his hands through his hair several times, wondering, not for the first time, _what the hell do I do now?_

Raising a child on his own was challenging, exhausting but rewarding at the same time. He had help here and there, on more than one occasion Pepper or Rhodey pulled him out of utterly messing up, backing him up when necessary or just showing support. His daughter was never a burden, but Tony wondered if she was better off without him sometimes. He didn’t like thinking about it, he felt guilty when the thought ever crossed his mind.

It was on times where Anya would do something amazing it left him gobsmacked, that he knew he wouldn’t change it for the world.   

But when Anya came and told him about developing Jedi-like powers out of nowhere, Tony was at a loss. He’d seen it, he’d believed her. He was just, trying to wrap his mind around it.

It also didn’t help that Anya was in hysterics when she told him. Being halfway coherent and on her way to a full blown panic attack made her explanation unintelligible. It wasn’t until Tony sat her down and wiped her tears that he could begin to understand what she was trying to say.

Tony had promised many things in his life, but nothing as important as this one. He didn’t have enough experience with kids, those parenting books helped for shit in situations like this, but if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that _this_ wasn’t something Anya could deal with alone.

He still didn’t know how to go about it, though.

But when he remembered the distress and fear in his daughter’s face, Tony’s fist clenched in determination. He was going to fix it, even if it took him months, years, to finally find the solution, even if it was the last thing he did.

 

.

 

**2006**

Their relationship changed drastically after the new development. They were closer, more than ever. Tony kept an eye out for Anya all the time, not that he wasn’t before, just a lot more steadily now. Tony didn’t realize how absolutely terrified he was of something happening to his kid until it hit him in the face, and that was outside the weird mind tricks she could pull off.

“Are you sure you have everything?” He asked, for the second time that morning. He didn’t want to be one of those parents, overbearing, overprotective, over the top, but screw it. Anya was his only child.

“Yeah, dad,” Anya said with, what she thought was, an unnoticeable roll of her eyes. “You already checked twice.”

“Hey now,” Tony protested, “I’m just making sure you’re not missing anything. And don’t you roll your eyes at me. Yeah, you thought I wouldn’t notice?” He pulled the last of her bags for Happy to take and turned around to get a good look at his daughter.

“Stop worrying, I’m fine.” She insisted, with the infliction every teenager did at their parents.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Yeah, you say that now. But three days out you’re gonna be calling and telling me how much you miss me. There’ll be tears and everything.”

To the surprise of no one, MIT was taking on the youngest of the Starks on the wild ride that was superior education, albeit two years early. At fifteen most kids didn’t have, or need, that kind of responsibility on their hands, but Anya liked to take the Stark approach to life. Tony was ecstatic about it, even if it meant having her living on the other side of the country.

“And you’ve got all this planned out?” Anya said with arched brow. “What will I say then?”

“Of course, who do you think I am? You’ll say something like ‘daddy, I hate this place I want to go back to Malibu where palm trees are real’.”

Truth be told Tony was indeed prepared for the call and for the consequential ride back home. He knew Anya was more reliable than that, and tougher than he was at her age but you could never know. They didn’t spend too much time apart usually, this was the first time they would live so far away from each other. He wasn’t entirely sold on the idea, but for Anya there were a lot of things Tony would do.

“I do not speak like that!”

“Yeah, you do.”

“Do not.”

“Guys,” came Pepper’s fond, but exasperated interruption. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” Anya said immediately. “If only dad could hurry up.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Is that how it’s gonna be from now on spawn?”

"Uh - huh." Anya nodded. 

"You haven't even left yet and you're already neglecting me?" Tony said, putting a hand to his chest, mock offended. 

"Of course I'm not! I'm gonna call everyday, so much, you're gonna get sick of me and beg me to stop."

"I don't think I could get sick of you, kiddo." He gave a quick squeeze and a kiss to her temple, Anya squirmed out of his hold in that way she often did. Teenagers. 

"You say that now." Anya muttered entering the car. 

"Nope." He smiled and motioned to Pepper to get into the car. "C'mon Pep tell her."

"Your father is going to miss you a lot, Anya," Pepper followed along, because she was that kind and fun, sometimes. "And so am I. We'll be counting the days, I promise."

"Aw, you guys." Anya said when they were finally ready to take off to the airport. "You're gonna make me all sentimental."

"God, I know. All these feelings are making me gag." Tony said for good measure, Anya laughed and slapped him slightly in the arm. Yeah, the two of them, they were going to be just fine. 

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so - first things first, I didn't want to make a suuuper long chapter, but some of it was necessary so you get a feel of how Tony and Anya's relationship is at the beginning. There will be a few more flashback blurbs in the future to fill in the gaps.
> 
> \- I took a few liberties (read: a lot) with the the whole custody/paternity thing. I did my research, read a bunch of articles on the matter, but the truth of it is that most of these things are treated on a case by case basis. And listen, i'm using comic book logic at this point, so hold your disbelief for me darlings!
> 
> \- Also as a random trivia fact: Tony's Malibu mansion doesn't actually exist but Point Dume does, it is a state protected area so no one can build there, you can visit and climb rock if you want. (The house was built as a 3D model then added in post, oh the magic of editing! The floor plans of this house give me headaches bc they don't make sense to me but anyway)
> 
> \- There are probably a few typos, i already checked twice but you can never be too sure. Feel free to point them out to me, I won't mind, to make sure they're fixed.
> 
> \- Lastly, i already made the disclaimer at the beginning but might as well: english is not my native language so if you notice any grammar, syntax, or tense mistake, please let me know, i'm still learning and any help is welcome (just be mindful, constructive criticism is okay as long as you're kind - im sensitive lol)
> 
> PS. Forgot to add, the updating schedule for this fic is every two weeks (kinda long i know) but in between school and other things i have to stretch it out to meet my own deadline lmao sooo, see you in two weeks kiddos! Thank you!


End file.
